24% of all NY workers in unions

New York is number one! …in union membership. Not just government workers, but all workers. According to new Bureau of Labor Statistics data, slightly less than a quarter of (working) people in the state are union members.

That number is falling nationwide, and in New York. 14.7 million Americans belong to unions: 612,000 fewer than this time last year. 17.7 million

Since the data are based on a survey of 60,000 random households, it’s not precise, but does show overall trends. Union membership rates climb steadily with age: 11.2 of workers aged 25-34 belong to unions, while 17.2 of workers aged 55-64 do.

34.6% of state government employees nationwide belong to unions; 45.9% of local government employees do.